~ Illustrations & Odd Facts

Monthly Archives: May 2013

Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631) was empress and chief consort to her husband, the Emporer Shah Jahan.

Their wedding date was selected by court astrologers as most conducive to ensuring a happy marriage. Perhaps we all should consult astrologers for wedding dates because this was one of the greatest love stories in recorded history.

She died giving birth to their 14th child. Jahan went into mourning for one year- and when he came out, his hair had turned white and his body was bent. He spent the next 22 years building her tomb- the Taj Mahal.

Christine de Pizan (1364-1430) was an Italian French poet. She served as a court writer for a few dukes and the French royal court during the reign of Charles VI.

Because she was widowed at a young age with three children, she took to writing to support her family. Her writing was innovative and respected. Scholars who have studied her work say that she should be viewed as an early feminist who “efficiently used language to convey that women should play an important role within society.”

She completed 41 works in her 30 year career and is regarded as Europe’s first professional woman writer. Her most famous work being “The Book of the City of Ladies” which tells the story of a symbolic city in which women are appreciated and defended.

You can read her poems here: http://www.poemhunter.com/christine-de-pizan/

I don’t paint many men from history- I love swirly soft brush strokes, so it’s much more fun to paint the women. However, our bonny friend Lord Robert Dudley made the very short list of male subjects. I’m fascinated how this scoundrel scored such a smart Queen as Elizabeth.

Due to his position at court- rumors circulated that he and the Elizabeth I had conspired to kill his first wife, Amy Robsart. After the hoopla settled, he remained unmarried for 18 years in hopes of marrying the Queen. He must’ve grown tired of cleaning his own codpiece, because he married Lettice Knollys- who was immediately banned from court by her majesty (jealous much?)

If he did play a role in the death of his first wife, karma certainly caught up with him. It is strongly suggested that Lettice poisoned Robert, causing his death from dysentery in 1588.

Not sure if I believe Robert was truly in love with the Queen or just a diabolical opportunist, but there is no question that she was in love with the man she called “Eyes.”

Quite a tragic figure in history. Amy was the unfortunate first wife of Lord Robert Dudley- Queen Elizabeth’s crush.

Amy was married to Robert at the age of 17. When he was arrested for high treason, she visited him at often at London Tower, bringing presents and news of the outside world. For her kindness and devotion, Robert abandoned her without explanation. The truth was, it was widely known that he had hopes of marrying Queen Elizabeth.

Rumors spread quickly regarding the affair between the disliked Duke of Northumberland and the Queen. Many said he and Elizabeth were plotting to murder his wife in order to begin their life together.

Poor Amy, who suffered from breast cancer, was found dead at the foot of the stairs from a broken neck. Some say it was suicide (because she had insisted on being alone that morning), some say it was an accident (breast cancer can cause bones to be brittle and break), some say it was murder.

The suspicious part is that Elizabeth told a Bishop that “Robert’s wife was dead, or nearly so” well before the news was broken. Hmph. Also suspicious- for falling down a flight of stairs, Amy’s headpiece was in perfect place.

Whatever it was, he got his in the end as Robert is thought to have been poisoned by his second wife- Lettice Knollys.

She was the favorite mistress of Henry IV of France. Since her mother was a mistress to Charles IX, it seems royal-ho was a desired position for Catherine since birth. She was was said to be ambitious and pretty- and by her teens was successful in her career choice.

When Henry married Marie de’Medici, Catherine was extremely bitter and vengeful. So much so, she developed a plot to assassinate the king in 1608. Somehow she escaped with only a small punishment after the plot was foiled. When the King died, Queen Marie de’Medici had Catherine exiled.

She was the only female in Chinese history to rule as emperor. Impressive.

In her campaign to be accepted by Confucian leaders, she started a campaign to elevate the position of women by having scholars write biographies of famous women, raised the position of her mother’s clan, and gave her relatives high political posts. Her core belief was that the ideal rules was one who ruled like a mother.

Born in Poland, of Ukrainian descent, and buried in Istanbul… Hürrem was one of the most powerful women in the Ottoman empire. She played a very important role in politics and state affairs.

She was a prominent figure in the “Sultanate of Women,” a 130 year period when women of the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Empire had extraordinary influence on the Sultans.

What I find the most interesting, aside from the fact that she was known for being extremely charitable and happy (she even established a public soup kitchen to the feed the poor in Jerusalem) are all her names:

Hürem Haseki Sultan, Roxelana, Alexandra Lisowaska, Roksolana, Rossa, Ruzica, Khurram, and Roxolany. I think some of these are nicknames and translation changes- but I need to do more research to sort it out.

Cecily was known as the “Rose of Raby” because she was born at Raby Castle, but she was also known as “Proud Cis” for having a healthy ego as well as a hot temper. She was the mother of two kings of England- Edward IV and Richard III.

Since Henry VIII, every English Monarch is descended from her.

Today was her birthday- and since I love a great headpiece, I felt the need to paint this lovely woman.

Nerd is the Word!

I love studying quirky history, so illustrating the people I research makes me one happy nerd girl. Did you know Queen Victoria had Bishopophobia? or that when Elizabeth of Russia died, they found 15,000 dresses in her uh... closet?

It's good stuff- and I plan to illustrate all the royal weirdos I can find.

All illustrations are my personal property- if you'd like to use them, just ask!